Farmeed / One-shot Series

~ a shopping saga ~

Umeed dragged her feet grumpily around the house. This was pure torture. This is not what she signed up for when she agreed to get married. What was she thinking? Was there a way to go back in time, and say no? 

"Umeed jaldi karo, sara din nahi hai. Nikalna hai humein."

She groaned loudly as she plopped down on the dining chair.

"Allah jee, achay logon ke saath buri cheezein kyun hoti hein?"

"Taubah karo Umeed, kesi fazool baatein kar rahi ho. Kya bura hua hai tumharay saath?"

Haya gave her a light hit on the head as she placed down her cup of chai  in front of her. 

"Ye koi waqt hai uthaanay wala? Chutti walay din subah subah 9 bajay utha diya hai ke beta shopping pe jana hai. Ab tum hi batao, ye kahan ki insaaniyat hai?"

"Umeed, 100 kaam hein karnay walay. Saara din soye reh ke to kaam nahi hotay na."

"Haya meri jaan, is waqt kon se hamaray mamoon jaan dukaan kholein gay hamaray liye? Pakistan hai ye. Yahan 12-1 bajay se pehle koi maqool dukaan wala nahi beth'ta. Wohi aatay hein bas jo chor daaku hotay hein."

Haya face-palmed herself and dived into her breakfast. There was no point arguing with her. 

"Bhateeji, aap ka rona dhona ho gaya ho to jaldi kar lein. Pasha sahab intezaar kar rahay hein."

Umeed choked on her chai.

"Pasha sahab bhi saath ja rahay hein? Chachi, wo kyun ja rahay hein?"

"Jeweller un ka dost hai, sonay ki shopping to zaahir hai wo saath karein gay na. Phir wo humein mall drop kar dein gay. Ab jaldi karo"

Umeed banged her head on the table. It was going to be a long day. 

~ A few hours later ~

All they had managed to do till now was buy one pair of shoes and Umeed was exhausted. Why was shadi shopping a thing? Why couldn't she just take her old stuff? 

Shopping wasn't the worst part though. Shopping with chachi was. She clearly had an agenda against Umeed. Anything that Umeed liked was turned down by her saying, "pasha sahab ne kaha hai kaam ki cheezein leni hein. fazool paisa nahi kharch karna." The woman and her idea of what was good was clearly screwed up. 

It was at one of these moments when Umeed was dragging her feet behind chachi and Haya, with the most bored expression that she felt like someone was looking at her. She whipped her head around, there was no one. That was weird. She shook the thought out of her mind, when she felt a presence close to her again. As she turned around to look, it was no one again, but she could feel someone was around. 

She stood still in the middle of the aisles, looking in all possible directions, when she found her answer. Standing next to the most inner-most rack, with all the 'last chance to buy' stuff, was him. Leaning lightly against the rack, trying not to be seen. Umeed gasped. What on earth was he doing here?

When she met his eye, she gave him the most questioning look, which was met by a sheepish smile and him running his hand in his hair. This man was mad!

Farjaad signalled her to come out of the shop, and in return she simply pointed towards her chachi. As soon as she did that, the woman in question called her name. Umeed jumped, while Farjaad pretty much hid behind a handful of colorful prints. 

"Umeed ye dekho, ye acha hai na? Tumhari mehndi ke liye le letay hein."

Chachi showed her the most hideous yellow outfit she had ever seen in her entire life, but her mind was too preoccupied to think straight.